Tuning Pegs
This is a simple way to make tuning pegs.
Most string instruments don't have complicated gearing for the string tension and it really isn't
necessary. A tapered peg inserted into a matching hole will lock well enough by friction to hold tension on a string and the adjustment is no more difficult.
Actually making the pegs depends on what tools/materials you have available.
I used a lathe to turn some aluminium pegs, which I expoxied into a hole in a plastic disc.
Admittedly, not everyone has access to a lathe, but you could turn these pegs out of hard wood or plastic using a drill held in a vice.
Even aluminium can be filed and rounded that way.
The tool used to ream the holes is normally sold for use as a hole reamer for sheet materials.
Here you can see the pegs inserted into the headstock. I make no apology for not trimming the strings short
- that means that when a string breaks (inevitably at the bridge end) I can just pull out another inch or two and carry on.
The holes for the pegs are drilled into wood of the neck piece, not the decorative ears.
There is a lot of stress here and you don't want any weakness. Notice that the strings are wound in opposite directions to help keep the stresses symetrical around the nut.
The nut itself is a little unusual. Instead of the nut acting as the first (zero) fret, there really is a zero fret and the nut simply serves to define the string spacing across the neck (7mm).
There is a good reason for this, it is really difficult to cut slots in a piece of plastic that are at a precise depth. This way is much less demanding. The nut isn't even glued in.
You can see from the photo that it is simply 'floating'.
The 5th tuning peg is slightly different, obviously, and the hole for that peg goes right through the neck.
The frets
The frets are just copper wire, straightened, cut to length and glued straight onto the fingerboard using epoxy.
I used 1.6mm enamelled copper wire and cleaned off the enamel by scraping and wire wool.
There is a trick to straightening the wire
Start by wrapping the end of the wire (still on the reel) around a handy bar (eg. screwdriver shaft), Secure it firmly, stand on that end and unreel a length of wire carefully until you reach chest height.
Then cut the wire and wrap the end firmly around another bar.
Now apply increasing tension until you feel a distinct 'give'. That's it. Stop. You have taken the wire past it's 'elastic limit' and it is about to snap. It is also perfectly straight.
Cut the wire at the bottom and hang it up so that you can cut off short lengths as needed. You can handle lengths up to about a foot without them bending under their own weight. Longer than that, you have to be careful.
The frets are glued flat onto the fingerboard in the interests of accuracy. I didn't feel confident that I could sink them all to the same depth by sawing slots.
When playing, I admit that you can feel the ends of the frets, even though they are well rounded. But Heck! you can't cut yourself on them and after a while you just accept it, it's a bit like the feel of a sitar.
In fact, the rather high lift of the string over the board allows you to really hook your left hand fingers in pull offs to give additional pluck.
Fret positions
This is a fairly simple calculation. The string length from zero fret to bridge is 660mm.
We simply divide the string length by 1.0594631 (the 12th root of 2) to get the first fret position:
622.957 - then carry on dividing by 1.0594631 to get the subsequent positions
587.993 (these values are rounded results - but don't round off during the calcuation)
554.991
523.842
494.441
466.690
440.497
I only went up to the 7th fret - this was a mistake, I should have finished the job. One day I will have to take it all apart and insert the rest.
Until then, there are a couple of tunes I have to play unfretted notes. Ho Hum.
Rather than measure repeatedly from the bridge, it is far easier to subtract these values from 660mm and work from the zero fret.
Since the bridge is moveable, the positioning of the zero fret is somewhat arbitrary, as long as it isn't so far out that the cut out for the 5th string peg doesn't fall between the 4th and 5th frets.
Mark them all out in pencil, making sure that they are all parallel and perpendicular to the centreline of the neck.
Glueing is critical, Make sure that the neck is well supported so that when the frets are in place you can get a board on top of them and clamp it down to the neck. Then, just smear a little epoxy on each fret and lay it in place. (use the slow setting type, this could take some time).
When they are all in place, gently place the board on top, watching carefully to make sure none of them roll, then clamp it down.
The Saddle
The saddle is simply a triangular piece of aluminium plate, slotted to take the string loops. The string spacing at this end is 10mm.
A length of 3mm steel rod left over from making the tone ring serves to hold the strings.
This isn't the best way to do it since if a string breaks you will need to release all of the strings to replace the broken one.
But it is probably the simplest.
Notice the piece of wood, visible in the side view, that holds the saddle away from the head. The aluminium itself isn't strong enough to withstand the string tension unaided.
It isn't glued in. Just placed there and trapped by the string tension.
There is a bit of subtle bending in the saddle along the line of the slots to hold the bar in place. If you don't do this there is a possibility that
the bar could slip up out of the saddle... It doesn't bear thinking about!
The screw visible in these shots passes through the body ring into the end grain of the neck, holding everything together.
The Bridge
This is trivial, a simple block of wood, about 8mm x 8mm and 60 mm long with a narrower sliver about 3mm x 8mm mounted edgeways on top. Shave the ridge of the bridge to a point.
Position of the bridge is designed to be 660mm from the nut.
Last but not by any means least, a big thank you to the people who helped me get this site off the ground: -
Useful links
Homemade Instruments - A to Z Home's Cool - Homeschooling Music
All you need to make your own musical instruments for your neighborhood
band. Free plans for instruments for little kids through teens and
interested adults.
http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/explore/homemademusic.htm
Banjo Newsletter
The premier monthly magazine for 5-string players (and has been for the past 31 years)
Check out their website for a look at their recent table of contents, and their mp3s of banjo tunes that have been tabbed
in the magazine.
http://www.banjonews.com
ezFolk
Where the folkies play!
The Internet's most popular folk music site,
featuring...
Free MP3 hosting for folk and acoustic artists!
Tabs,
tutorials, & more for guitar, banjo, and ukulele!
http://ezfolk.com
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